Method and Apparatus for Wireless Communication Using Location Based Information

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus is disclosed whereby location based information (LBI) is used to make access and routing decisions within a network. Such LBI is sent from mobile devices to the core network when the mobile device registers with the network and is updated periodically. Over time, this collected LBI data represents the position of mobile devices over time and periodic patterns of usage in different geographic areas. When a network receives an indication that a mobile device requires registration with the network, the network determines as a function of said LBI, a desired network access technology to use to connect said mobile device with the network. Instructions are then transmitted to the mobile device to establish a connection using said desired network access technology and the device is registered with the network. Dynamically updated LBI information from mobile devices is also used for IP network routing optimization.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related generally to wireless communicationsystems and, in particular, to determining network access in suchwireless communication systems.

Wireless communication systems have become ubiquitous. As the numbers ofusers of such systems grow larger, the cost of building networkssupporting these systems increases. As a result, wireless networkengineering has grown in importance. Network engineering as used hereinmeans the process of designing a network architecture and developingmethods of operating a network, including the design of the componentsused in the network, as well as the methods of interfacing the networkwith users. One key element of wireless network engineering is accesscontrol. Access control in wireless networks involves matching mobiledevices and bandwidth requirements with appropriate access technologiesand equipment to meet these requirements. Access control engineering hasgrown more complex with the advent of end-user devices, such as wirelesshandsets, that are capable of accessing a wireless network via any ofmultiple well-known access technologies. For example, various devicesmay be capable of accessing a wireless network via cellular technology,Wi-Fi (802.11) technology, Wi-MAX (802.16) (802.11, 802.16, and other802.1x series technologies are collectively referred to herein as 802.1xtechnologies) and other technologies adapted to interface a device witha wireless network, depending on which access technology is available.These technologies are very well known in the art and will not bediscussed further herein other than as is necessary for theunderstanding of the present invention. Since each of these technologiescan be used for wireless network access, it is desirable to take suchdiverse access abilities into account when engineering the design andoperational functionality of a network. However, in wireless networks,the mobile nature of an end user while using such a mobile device makessuch engineering difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These difficulties are essentially solved in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention. In particular, in accordance withthe principles of the present invention, location based information(LBI), discussed further herein below, is used to make access androuting decisions within a network. Such LBI is sent from mobile devicesto the core network when the mobile device registers with the network.In particular, this LBI information may be transmitted as a part of theregistration message from the mobile device to the network. Over time,this collected data represents the position of mobile devices over timeand periodic patterns of usage in different geographic areas.

In one illustrative embodiment, a network receives an indication that amobile device requires registration with the network. This indication oranother indication contains at least a first element of location basedinformation (LBI). Then, the network determines, illustratively as afunction of said LBI, a desired network access technology to use toconnect said mobile device with said network. Instructions are thentransmitted to said mobile device to establish a connection using saiddesired network access technology and the device is registered with thenetwork. The location information and bandwidth required per endpoint isalso used to determine expected traffic entering the network atdifferent points, which allows the optimization of network design aswell as the routes used by the routers in the network.

These and other advantages of the invention will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detaileddescription and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a prior art Internet Protocol telephony network;

FIG. 2 shows an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia System in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a first method in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 shows a second method in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 shows a computer adapted for use in accordance with variousembodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an illustrative mobile device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Landline telephony networks using a packet-based carrier are well known.FIG. 1 shows a traditional IP network adapted to carry voice calls anddata. As is well known in the art, IP is the protocol by which data issent from one computer to another on data networks, such as theinternet. The network of FIG. 2 utilizes, for example, the SessionInitiation Protocol (SIP) in order to set up voice connections (e.g.,VoIP calls) between users. SIP is a well known application-layer controlprotocol used to establish, modify and terminate sessions such as IPtelephony calls. The details of SIP are well known to those skilled inthe art and will not be described further herein.

With reference to FIG. 1, a traditional SIP network is used to connectcallers to one another, here shown as IP enabled telephone 102 and IPenabled telephone 104. In FIG. 1, telephone 102 is connected to a borderelement (BE) 106 which provides telephone 102 access to the IP network.Similarly, telephone 104 is connected to BE 108 which provides telephone104 access to the IP network. In the example of FIG. 1, a call istypically initiated by telephone 102 sending a message addressed totelephone 104's Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) which identifiestelephone 104. When the message is received at the call control element(CCE) 112, the CCE 112 performs the functions of interfacing with othernetwork elements such as Border Elements (BE) 106 and 108, ServiceBroker (SB) 136, Application Server (AS) 116, Network Routing Engine(NRE) 122, and other network elements, to provide the necessaryfunctions to process a call request. The functions of the networkelements of FIG. 1 are well known and will not be further describedother than as is necessary for the understanding of the presentinvention.

Designing and engineering a network such as that shown in FIG. 1involves determining the bandwidth requirements in different geographicareas that are associated with access technology that terminates onnetwork gateways, and then assigning network resources to carry trafficfrom those geographic areas as well as ensuring the centralized networkelements are sufficiently robust to provide service to customers. In alandline IP network, such design and engineering tasks were relativelysimplistic, since the end users at landline telephones were typicallystatic in location. However, as more and more communications networksrely on packet-based systems, such IP networks have also been consideredfor wireless applications. Wireless networks have traditionally reliedon well-known cellular technologies with geographically dispersed basestations supported by base station controllers, mobile switching centersand other elements in a centralized network that have used specificprotocols and network architectures that are primarily designed forefficiently carrying voice traffic. Cellular networks provide broadbandaccess for data traffic that will also be used for VoIP telephony.Network design and engineering is much more complex in such wirelessnetworks primarily because end users are mobile and it is much moredifficult to predict the service and bandwidth requirements at any giventime. Network engineering efforts in such systems estimated trafficusage when initially designing the network and then revised networkdesign when actual historical bandwidth usage data was available.However, such engineering activities sometimes did not provide adequatenetwork resources for all users. For example, when more mobile usersthan usual were located in a particular geographic area, sometimes callswere dropped or service was otherwise unavailable.

As the transition from traditional cellular networks to packet-basednetworks occurs, it has been recognized as desirable to be able to use acommon packet-based network for all types of communication: data,landline telephony, and wireless telephony. Therefore, attempts atconverging these types of communication into one network have been made.FIG. 2 shows one such effort, specifically an illustrative communicationnetwork that can support multiple access technologies, referred toherein as an IP Multimedia System (IMS) network. The IMS framework is anew network architecture developed by the 3rd Generation PartnershipProject (3GPP) wireless standards consortium and is a collection ofcarrier network functions and processes. The goal of the IMS standardsis to standardize an operator-friendly environment for real-time,packet-based calls and services that not only will preserve traditionalcarrier controls over user signaling and usage-based billing, but alsowill generate new network functionality.

When a communication is received from, for example, one of devices 201or 202, it enters network 211 as discussed above. The Call SessionControl Function (CSCF) 214 determines whether the endpoint isregistered for service. The CSCF refers to Home Subscriber Server (HSS)213. HSS 213 provides call session establishment criteria, includingidentification of the end user, and access authorization functions, aswell as other services associated with, for example, mobilitymanagement, security, and service provisioning. The HSS 213 performsthese functions by referring to the CSCF 214. CSCF 214 has, for example,Interrogating, Home and Proxy Call Session Control Function components(referred to herein as I-CSCF, H-CSCF and P-CSCF functions,respectively). In IMS, every user signaling event, feature activation,call session initiation, resource allocation, or requests for any otherapplication or service-first stops at the P-CSCF, which is the userdevice's first contact point within the IMS core network. The P-CSCFforwards SIP messages received from the end user via the IRSCP to theI-CSCF or the S-CSCF, depending on the type of message and procedure.The I-CSCF provides a contact point within an operator's networkallowing subscribers of that network operator, and roaming subscribers,to register. Once registered, the S-CSCF maintains session state for allIMS services. Such services are provided in the service plane 217 via aservice capability interaction manager (SCIM) 218 that performsfunctions similar to a service broker in a cellular network andcoordinates the applications provided by application servers 210, 220and 221.

The network of FIG. 2 also has IP Routing Service Control Point (IRSCP)212 that, in part, performs a ‘meta router’ function to determine theoptimal IP routing tables for each router in the transport network. TheIRSCP 212 uses LBI as part of the criteria for IP routing to determinethe traffic that needs to be transmitted among various routers in thenetwork. LBI indicates which mobile devices are in a particulargeographic area and, thus, represents potential traffic demand on thenetwork based on the location of those devices. Since LBI information isdynamically transmitted with each registration message, the potentialdemand for network services is dynamically known to the IRSCP 212.Accordingly, IRSCP 212 can, for example, determine potentially hightraffic portions of the network and route traffic to other, lesscongested, portions of the network to optimize IP routing in thetransport network. Accordingly, in addition to the network determiningas a function of LBI which access technology is used, the network alsodetermines the gateway (GW) by which that traffic enters the IP/MPLSnetwork.

The IMS of FIG. 2 will not be discussed further herein other than as isnecessary for the understanding of the present invention. However, it isrelevant to recognize that networks such as the IMS network of FIG. 2can support multiple access technologies and provide a common transport,control and service plane to calls made across any of those accesstechnologies.

As discussed above, a significant problem in networks such as IMS 200 ofFIG. 2 is that engineering the structure and functionality of thenetwork is very complex, especially for the elements of the network thatsupport wireless communications. For example, when services can beprovided between a combination of cellular access and wireless LANaccess (e.g., 802.11), then a decision has to be made as to the locationand capability of each access point (e.g., wireless LAN router, cellphone base station, etc). Then, during operations, an intelligentdecision about how to allocate the available resources (e.g., whichmethod of accessing the network) has to be made.

In traditional wireless networks, an and user device (e.g., cellulartelephone) or the user of that device made the decision as to whichaccess technology to use to provide communication service. This decisionwas typically made based on a characteristic of the signal, such assignal strength, between the end user and the access point of thenetwork. For example, in cellular networks, a cellular telephone couldautomatically use the base station which provided the highest signalstrength. When moving, if a higher signal strength was available to themobile device, a handoff to the new base station would be initiated.Such a device or user-based access selection was possible due to theseamless and regular layout of cellular base stations. Each base stationwas essentially interchangeable from the perspective of the network and,therefore, if a channel on a base station having a higher signalstrength was available, hand-offs did not require any specialconsiderations by the network. However, since the devices did not havedetailed information related to the network, such devices sometimeswould make undesirable access decisions from a network standpoint. Forexample, the device might initiate a handoff to a new base station eventhough that base station was near maximum operating capacity. From anetwork perspective, it may be desirable to have the device be handedoff to another, lower traffic base station even if the signal strengthfrom that base station was not as strong.

In networks such as the network of FIG. 2, the availability of differentaccess technologies adds an additional layer of complexity to suchaccess decisions. In particular, demand for services across wireless LANrouters have to be considered in addition to the cellular access demand.The engineering of the placement of cell towers/base stations andwireless LAN access points, as well as the capacity of the supportingnetwork infrastructure, thus becomes important when designing such aconverged network. Current approaches to addressing these access issuestypically still relied on the device-based access selection methoddescribed above. However, as a result, service providers had to accountfor periodic wide variations in demand as mobile users moved from onearea to another. These approaches tended to result in theunderutilization of resources (i.e., the resources assigned to certainareas were too robust) thus increasing the cost of the networkunnecessarily, or inadequate resource allocation, thus resulting in poorservice and coverage.

The present invention substantially solves the foregoing problems. Inparticular, in accordance with the principles of the present invention,location based information (LBI) is used to make access and routingdecisions within a network, such as the network of FIG. 2. Inparticular, LBI is collected from network access equipment and from userdevices in order to engineer the design of the network and then toprovide intelligent access decisions during network operations. As usedherein, LBI is defined as information related to the location of amobile device and/or network element (e.g., wireless LAN router), suchas geographic coordinates and is obtained from, for example, the builtin Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers in many new mobile devices.One skilled in the art will recognize that such LBI can be obtained fromother well-known geolocation techniques, such as triangulation based onsignals received from two or more cellular antennas. LBI may alsoinclude other information such as velocity and quality of serviceexperienced by an end user at a particular location. One skilled in theart will recognize that LBI has been used in communications networkspreviously. However, typically, such LBI has only been used to providelocation-dependent services to an end user. For example, a network mayuse this information to provide list of restaurants near the end user.LBI has not been used as a design criteria for networks or to makeintelligent access and routing decisions for calls.

Therefore, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, LBIis sent from mobile devices to the core network when the mobile deviceregisters with the network. In particular, this LBI information istransmitted as a part of the registration message via transport network211 in FIG. 2 to, for example, the HSS 213 where it is stored. Overtime, this collected data represents the position of mobile devices overtime and periodic patterns of usage in different geographic areas. Inaccordance with another aspect of the present invention, the position ofwireless LAN access points and cellular base stations is also collected.Such location information can be obtained, for example, by incorporatingGPS receivers into those devices similar to the mobile devices. Then,the information can be provided to the core network, once againillustrative HSS 213, by periodically transmitting the locationinformation to the core network from the access points/base stations.Alternatively, one skilled in the art will recognize that such locationinformation can be obtained by having the core network interrogate theaccess points/base stations to retrieve the information, thus the LBIreflects dynamically the location of the endpoint desiring networkaccess for services. Regardless the method of obtaining the mobiledevice LBI information and the access point/base station locationinformation, the end result is that a database of location informationfor mobile devices, wireless access points and base stations is obtainedand stored.

Once LBI data is stored for these devices, it is illustratively used fortwo different purposes, as discussed above. First, LBI is used forengineering purposes in order to ensure that adequate network resources,such as cellular base stations and wireless LAN access points areavailable to support demand for network access. LBI used for thispurpose is referred to herein as LBI-Engineering, or LBI-E. Such networkLBI-E information can be used in conjunction with other accessrequirements (e.g., to support a guaranteed class of service) in orderto design the layout of the network as well as the design and robustnessof network components such as gateways 208, 210 and 209 or other borderelements used to gain access to transport network 211.

LBI information is also used when the mobile device registers with thenetwork to determine the desired network access method to be used by aparticular mobile device. Contrary to prior efforts, and according to anadvantage of the present invention, the network, not the mobile deviceor the user of the mobile device, selects the appropriate access methodfor the mobile device. For example, when a new mobile device, such asmobile phone 201, registers with network 200 via CSCF, the H-CSCFcomponent of the CSCF in conjunction with the LBI information identifiesthe locations of mobile devices in proximity to the mobile phone 201.This information is used in conjunction with the known capabilities andlocations of wireless access points, such as wireless access point 206,and base stations, such as BS/BSC 203, in order to select the mostoptimal access technology to provide network access to mobile phone 201.By monitoring access patterns over time during a call, the H-CSCF inconjunction with the HSS can determine when a handoff from one accesstechnology to another (e.g., from WiFi to cellular and vice versa) isappropriate. Such dynamic handoffs from one access technology isreferred to herein as Dynamic Over the Air Programming (DOTAP).

FIG. 3 shows a method in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. Specifically, FIG. 3 shows a method for use when a new mobiledevice, such as mobile telephone 201 in FIG. 2, has multiple accesstechnologies available to connect to a communications network. At step301, a mobile device registers with a network, such as with the HSS 213of network 200 of FIG. 2. Next, at step 302, LBI information indicatingthe position of the mobile device is transmitted from the mobile deviceto a node in the network, such as HSS 213. Then, at step 303, thenetwork determines, for example, at a H-CSCF function in the network,which access technology to use for the mobile device. Next, at step 304,the network sends appropriate signals to the mobile device to establisha connection using the desired network access technology, for example,cellular access via BS/BSC 203. Then, at step 305, the device registerswith the network using that access technology and, at step 306, the callis routed through the network and the call is connected.

FIG. 4 shows another method in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention whereby dynamic handoffs between different accesstechnologies (e.g., from cellular to 802.1x and vice versa) are made ina network such as network 200 in FIG. 2. At step 401, an indication thata handoff is required is received in the network at, for example, HSS213 in FIG. 2. This indication may be, for example, an indication that aspecific customer or groups of customers require additional resourcesfrom a specific access technology, such as cellular access technology,to support a guaranteed class of service. This may require that somemobile devices, such as mobile device 201, be handed off to anotheraccess technology, such as from the cellular access technology to 802.1xaccess via wireless access point 206. Then, at step 402, HSS sends amessage to mobile telephone 201 to initiate a handoff from, for example,cellular access via BS/BSC 203 to 802.1x access via wireless accesspoint 206 to wireless access point 201. Finally, at step 403, mobiletelephone 201 initiates the handoff.

The steps of the methods discussed above in association with FIG. 3 andFIG. 4 may be performed by a computer adapted to perform the functionsdescribed above. FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of one embodiment of acomputer that can be used in the network elements of FIG. 2 to performthese functions. Referring to FIG. 6, computer 507 may be implemented onany suitable computer adapted to receive, store, and transmit data suchas the aforementioned LBI information. Illustrative computer 507 mayhave, for example, a processor 502 (or multiple processors) whichcontrols the overall operation of the computer 507. Such operation isdefined by computer program instructions stored in a memory 503 andexecuted by processor 502. The memory 503 may be any type of computerreadable medium, including without limitation electronic, magnetic, oroptical media. Further, while one memory unit 503 is shown in FIG. 6, itis to be understood that memory unit 603 could comprise multiple memoryunits, with such memory units comprising any type of memory. Computer507 also comprises illustrative network interface 504 that is used tointerface with other network components. One skilled in the art willrecognize that network interface 504 is representative of any number ofnetwork interfaces interfacing said network elements to the otherelements in said network. Computer 507 also illustratively comprises astorage medium, such as a computer hard disk drive 605 for storing, forexample, data and computer programs adapted for use in accordance withthe principles of the present invention as described hereinabove.Finally, computer 507 also illustratively comprises one or moreinput/output devices, represented in FIG. 5 as terminal 506, forallowing interaction with, for example, a service provider technician ordatabase administrator. One skilled in the art will recognize thatcomputer 507 is merely illustrative in nature and that various hardwareand software components may be adapted for equally advantageous use in acomputer in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a mobile device, illustratively a mobile telephone, inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Referringto that figure, mobile telephone 600 has illustrative memory 605 andprocessor 606 for storing and performing, respectively, the steps ofprogram instructions adapted for use in mobile telephone 600. Mobiletelephone 600 also has illustrative keypad 604 for entering data such astelephone numbers into the memory 605. Other components of mobiletelephone 600 include battery 609, GPS receiver 607, modulator 603,radio frequency transceiver 602, LCD display 608 and antenna 601.

The operations of a mobile telephone such as mobile telephone 600 arewell known in the art. Therefore, such operations will not be describedherein other than as is necessary for the understanding the principlesof the present invention. In operations, GPS receiver receivespositioning data from, for example, GPS satellites in order to computethe aforementioned LBI. Once again, determining such LBI information iswail known and will not be described in detail herein. Such LBI can bedetermined from one of several positioning techniques, includingtriangulation as discussed previously. According to another embodimentof the present invention, mobile telephone 600 sends a registrationmessage via radio frequency transceiver 602 and antenna 601 in order toregister with a wireless network. Illustratively, the registrationmessage illustratively contains LBI. Thus, when the registration messagereaches the network, it is used as described herein above to determine adesired network access technology to assign to the mobile device. Thenthe network sends a message instructing mobile telephone 600 via antenna601 and radio transceiver 602 to use a particular access technology,e.g., cellular access technology. As a result, the network-determinedaccess technology is used by mobile telephone 600 to initiate callswithin the network.

In another embodiment, mobile telephone 600 is instructed to initiate ahand off from one access technology to another access technology. Forexample, if mobile telephone 600 is connected to a network via cellularaccess technology, and the network determines as discussed hereinabovethat it is desirable that mobile telephone 600 use 802.1x accesstechnology instead, then a message indicating a handoff is required issent to mobile telephone 600 where it is received via antenna 601 andradio transceiver 602. Processor 606 then initiates the hand offaccording to well known procedures for handoffs.

The foregoing Detailed Description is to be understood as being in everyrespect illustrative and exemplary, but not restrictive, and the scopeof the invention disclosed herein is not to be determined from theDetailed Description, but rather from the claims as interpretedaccording to the full breadth permitted by the patent laws. It is to beunderstood that the embodiments shown and described herein are onlyillustrative of the principles of the present invention and that variousmodifications may be implemented by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention. Those skilled inthe art could implement various other feature combinations withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention.

1. A method, comprising: identifying, by a system having a processor, alocal-area-network access point having a first coverage area accessibleby a mobile communication device; identifying, by the system, acellular-network access point having a second coverage area accessibleby the mobile communication device; and determining, by the system,using location-based information, which one of the local-area-networkaccess point and the cellular-network access point to use to connect themobile communication device to a communication network.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein: the location-based information comprises firstlocation information indicating a location of the local-area-networkaccess point and second location information indicating a location ofthe cellular-network access point; and determining which one of thelocal-area-network access point and the cellular-network access point touse to connect the mobile communication device to the communicationnetwork is based on the first location information and the secondlocation information.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thelocation-based information comprises information indicating a locationof the mobile communication device.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereindetermining which of the local-area-network access point and thecellular-network access point to use to connect the mobile communicationdevice to a communication network is based on a number of mobilecommunication devices positioned in a region accessible by thelocal-area-network access point and the cellular-network access point.5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining first capabilitydata corresponding to the local-area-network access point; and obtainingsecond capability data corresponding to the cellular-network accesspoint; wherein determining which one of the local-area-network accesspoint and the cellular-network access point to use to connect the mobilecommunication device to the communication network is based on the firstcapability data and the second capability data.
 6. The method of claim1, further comprising determining, based on a communication involvingthe mobile communication device using the network access pointdetermined for connecting the mobile communication device to thecommunication network, that a handoff from the determined network accesspoint to an other of the local-area-network access point and thecellular-network access point is appropriate.
 7. The method of claim 1,further comprising transmitting, by the system, to the mobilecommunication device, a communication indicating the access point, ofthe local-area-network access point and the cellular-network accesspoint, determined for connecting the mobile communication device to thecommunication network.
 8. A system comprising: a processor; and acomputer-readable storage medium having stored thereincomputer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor,cause the processor to perform operations comprising: identifying alocal-area-network access point having a first coverage area accessibleby a mobile communication device; identifying a cellular-network accesspoint having a second coverage area accessible by the mobilecommunication device; and determining, using location-based information,which one of the local-area-network access point and thecellular-network access point to use to connect the mobile communicationdevice to a communication network.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein:the location-based information comprises first location informationindicating a location of the local-area-network access point and secondlocation information indicating a location of the cellular-networkaccess point; and the operation of determining which one of thelocal-area-network access point and the cellular-network access point touse to connect the mobile communication device to the communicationnetwork is based on the first location information and the secondlocation information.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein thelocation-based information comprises information indicating a locationof the mobile communication device.
 11. The system of claim 8, whereinthe determining operation is based on a number of mobile communicationdevices positioned in a region accessible by the local-area-networkaccess point and the cellular-network access point.
 12. The system ofclaim 8, wherein: the operations further comprise obtaining firstcapability data corresponding to the local-area-network access point;the operations further comprise obtaining second capability datacorresponding to the cellular-network access point; and the operation ofdetermining which one of the local-area-network access point and thecellular-network access point to use to connect the mobile communicationdevice to the communication network is based on the first capabilitydata and the second capability data.
 13. The system of claim 8, whereinthe operations further comprise determining, based on a communicationinvolving the mobile communication device using the network access pointdetermined for use to connect the mobile communication device to thecommunication network, that a handoff from the determined network accesspoint to an other of the local-area-network access point and thecellular-network access point is appropriate.
 14. The system of claim 8,wherein the operations further comprise transmitting, to the mobilecommunication device, an instruction indicating the access point, of thelocal-area-network access point and the cellular-network access point,determined for connecting the mobile communication device to thecommunication network.
 15. A computer-readable storage device comprisingcomputer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor,cause the processor to perform operations comprising: identifying alocal-area-network access point having a first coverage area accessibleby a mobile communication device; identifying a cellular-network accesspoint having a second coverage area accessible by the mobilecommunication device; and determining, using location-based information,which one of the local-area-network access point and thecellular-network access point to use to connect the mobile communicationdevice to a communication network.
 16. The computer-readable storagedevice of claim 15, wherein: the location-based information comprisesfirst location information indicating a location of thelocal-area-network access point and second location informationindicating a location of the cellular-network access point; and theoperation of determining which one of the local-area-network accesspoint and the cellular-network access point to use to connect the mobilecommunication device to the communication network is based on the firstlocation information and the second location information.
 17. Thecomputer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein: thelocation-based information comprises location information indicating alocation of the mobile communication device; and the operations furthercomprise transmitting, to the mobile communication device, aninstruction indicating the access point, of the local-area-networkaccess point and the cellular-network access point, determined forconnecting the mobile communication device to the communication network.18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein thedetermining operation is based on a number of mobile communicationdevices positioned in a region accessible by the local-area-networkaccess point and the cellular-network access point.
 19. Thecomputer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein: the operationsfurther comprise obtaining first capability data corresponding to thelocal-area-network access point; the operations further compriseobtaining second capability data corresponding to the cellular-networkaccess point; and the operation of determining which one of thelocal-area-network access point and the cellular-network access point touse to connect the mobile communication device to the communicationnetwork is based on the first capability data and the second capabilitydata.
 20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein theoperations further comprise determining, based on a communicationinvolving the mobile communication device using the network access pointdetermined for use to connect the mobile communication device to thecommunication network, that a handoff from the determined network accesspoint to an other of the local-area-network access point and thecellular-network access point is appropriate.